Description

The book is accessible and well written, and the issues are thoughtfully analyzed." —Choice

An insightful examination of how traditional views of femininity and masculinity have influenced scientific research about sexual differences in the brain. The book chronicles the phallocentric underpinnings of research in the field and the subsequent contribution of feminist intellectual thought to the modification of scientific practice.

Author Bio

Marianne van den Wijngaard developed courses in women’s studies in the Department of Biology at the University of Amsterdam; she has written numerous articles in both Dutch and English on her research concerning gender and biology.

Reviews

““The book is accessible and well written, and the issues are thoughtfully analyzed.” —Choice
An insightful examination of how traditional views of femininity and masculinity have influenced scientific research about sexual differences in the brain. The book chronicles the phallocentric underpinnings of research in the field and the subsequent contribution of feminist intellectual thought to the modification of scientific practice.”

Customer Reviews

Table of Contents

1. Femininity and Women in Biology and Feminist Theory1.1 Gender Trouble and Making Sex1.2 Back and Forward to Nurture and Nature1.3 Feminist Visions of Biological Sex Differences1.4 Feminist Ideology Haunted by Biology1.5 Biological Ideology Haunted by Feminism1.6 Toward Construction of Masculinity and Femininity1.7 Possibilities and Constraints1.8 Why the Brain?

2. Acceptance of Scientific Theories and Images Concerning Masculinity and Femininity2.1 Introduction2.2 Introduction and Context of the Proposal of the Organization Theory2.3 Acceptance and Extension of the Organization Theory2.4 Reasons for Acceptance of the Organization Theory2.5 Conversion of Androgens to Estradiol2.6 Mechanisms Perpetuating the Dual Function of Hormones2.7 Conclusions

3. Feminism and the Biological Construction of Female and Male Behavior3.1 Introduction3.2 Biological Theory on Development of Behavior3.3 Masculinity and Femininity in the Experiments3.4 Criticisms of the Organization Theory3.5 A Cry for the Liberation of the Female Rodent3.6 Reinventing Female Appetitive Activities3.7 Feminism and the Biological Construction of Human Behavior3.8 Environmental Factors and the Biological Construction of Behavior3.9 ‘Sexually Dimorphic’ Behavior Challenged/Unlimited3.10 Conclusions

4. The Construction of Women and Men in Medical Practice4.1 Introduction4.2 Pseudo-hermaphroditism Through the Ages4.3 Medical Considerations in the Treatment of Ambiguous Sex4.4 Treatment of Psychological Masculinity and Femininity4.5 Asymmetrical Duality Within the Theory4.6 Transference of Fundamental Knowledge into Medical Practice4.7 Conclusions